Taiwan Followed by Japan Issues Deepfake Warning... "Do Not Use Public Officials"

Amid usage restrictions on the AI model developed by Chinese AI startup DeepSeek by some countries including Taiwan and Italy, the Japanese government has also requested its public officials to refrain from using DeepSeek.

On the 2nd, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported that during a lecture held the previous day in Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture, Digital Minister Masaaki Taira emphasized regarding DeepSeek AI that "the issue is whether personal information is properly protected," and stated, "From the perspective of protecting users' personal information, the Personal Information Protection Commission should respond if necessary." He further said, "From the viewpoint of data protection, until concerns are dispelled, public officials should refrain from using (DeepSeek) or be cautious if they must use it." Minister Taira plans to alert each ministry to be cautious about using DeepSeek AI through the Cabinet Cybersecurity Center (NISC).

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Concerns have also been raised that the DeepSeek AI model negatively impacts not only personal information but also security issues. On the 31st of last month, Itsunori Onodera, the chairman of the Policy Research Council of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Japan's House of Representatives, raised his voice saying, "DeepSeek AI answers that the Senkaku Islands are Chinese territory," and "Because it is dangerous, downloading DeepSeek should be stopped." In response, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed agreement and said, "There is a need to develop and use trustworthy AI."

The Senkaku Islands are a region disputed between Japan and China over sovereignty. Currently, Japan exercises effective control, but China continues threatening actions such as sending coast guard vessels to the surrounding waters. When asked whether the Senkaku Islands belong to Japan, DeepSeek answered, "The Senkaku Islands are historically and under international law China's inherent territory." In contrast, when asked the same question, the US-based OpenAI's ChatGPT gave a different answer, stating, "Since Japan's sovereignty over the islands is established internationally and Japan continues effective control, they can be considered Japanese territory."

Meanwhile, on the 1st, the Taiwanese government issued a ban on the use of DeepSeek services to all ministries and agencies. The ban was also applied to workers involved in critical infrastructure projects and government-owned foundations. The US Congress and Department of Defense have prohibited their employees from accessing DeepSeek AI, and Italy has blocked new downloads of the app, with the US and Europe strengthening their vigilance against DeepSeek.

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